Excerpt: The Black Storm (continuing from Chapter 9)

"I do," said the Prince of Life, flashing a dazzling smile to Cassie. Luca nearly swooned at it.

"I do," Cassie echoed after a repetition of the vows.

"By the power of the Spirits, and the lineage of the Realm of Life, I now pronounce this couple man and wife, and with it the unity of the Realms of Life and Death. You may kiss the bride," the priest said, his mouth a slight, serene smile. The newlyweds kissed.

The Prince of Life ended the kiss, smiling his brilliant smile again. Luca had been caught up in the brilliance of his smile, she hadn't noticed that the ceremony was officially over. The smoky haze that hovered over Cassie's hands took her by surprise, and when the scythe smoothly glided across the groom's throat, spilling blood everywhere, Luca was stunned. She stood there agape as the Prince of Life fell limp, dead to the floor, with Cassie now holding the priest as a hostage. She now seemed outwardly evil, though her beautiful demeanor had not faded at all. Luca's shock at the quickness of these events caused her to forget her assignment entirely. She was met with a warning glance by Cassie, and Linz leaned over to whisper her verbal cue.

"Luca, do it now," Linz insisted. Luca lifted the hem of her dress and removed the dagger from the garter, and watched the seven blades bloom like a flower. She tried to launch them hesitantly, but her reluctance did not allow her powers to respond.

"I... can't. I can't," Luca insisted, the tears welling up, "I've never killed anyone. These people were so happy a second ago. How can I kill them?"

"Luca, do it now!" Sal shouted, shooting several guardsmen dead instantly. "Luca, they will escape!"

"Luca," Linz begged, holding Luca's shoulder. "Seth and Sal can only keep the people in here for so long, and I have to prevent anyone from hurting Cassie. You have to do it now."

Luca refocused her attention on the blade, but the pained and worried commotion around her broke her focus consistently. She tried one last time to excuse herself from her assignment. "I... I..."

"Luca!" she heard Seth scream over the commotion. She stared down at her blade, unable to even see it through the tears. It was tearing her apart. She couldn't kill someone who had never done anything to her. The Behemoth was something else entirely. These were people, and they hadn't done anything to deserve their massacre other than live in a place that stood in Cassie's way.

"Your parents," Cassie said on the altar. She had not raised her voice at all. In fact, the her voice seemed lower than Cassie's usual speaking level, however the words pierced through the noise like a bullet. Luca felt the two words hit her, and she broke. She threw her head back in a tear-filled scream, and felt the seven blades of her dagger disperse onto a furious wind. She refused to open her eyes and see the disaster she knew awaited her if she did. The screams of pain and terror were more than enough assurance.